Suzanne Dolores Luckey (April 4, 1938 – November 29, 2012) was an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

, best known for her roles in the

musical films Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

'' (1956) and ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and ...

'' (1962).

Early years

Luckey was born in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, where her father was a sound editor in the film industry. She graduated in 1956 from Hollywood Professional School. Luckey had a romance with race car driver Jack Martin while in her early teens.

Career

Stage

Luckey performed on Broadway during the 1950s, including the original 1954 adaptation of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

'' and ''

Take Me Along ''Take Me Along'' is a 1959 musical based on the 1933 Eugene O'Neill play ''Ah, Wilderness'', with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell.Mandelbaum, Ke"Ken Mandelbaum's Musicals On Disc: Remembering Bob Merri ...

''.

Television

On television, Luckey was cast in ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

''. She also appeared in the television movie version of '' Annie Get Your Gun'' in 1957. In 1957, she starred in the ''

Telephone Time ''Telephone Time'' is an American anthology drama series that aired on CBS in 1956, and on ABC from 1957 to 1958. The series features plays by John Nesbitt who hosted the first season. Frank C. Baxter hosted the 1957 and 1958 seasons. The progr ...

'' episode "Castle Dangerous".

Film

Luckey's best known film roles were in ''

'' and ''

''. She co-starred as the daughter of Billy Bigelow's character, played by

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who pl ...

, in ''Carousel''. She appeared as Zaneeta, the daughter of Mayor Shinn (portrayed by

Paul Ford Paul Ford Weaver (November 2, 1901 – April 12, 1976) was an American character actor who came to specialize in authority figures whose ineptitude and pompous demeanor were played for comic effect, notably as Mayor Shinn in ''The Music Man (196 ...

), in ''The Music Man'', repeating the role she had in the national company of that musical. Her last film was the 1966 small movie, ''Step Out of Your Mind''.

Family

In 1964, Luckey married actor Larry Douglas, who had divorced

Onna White Onna White (March 24, 1922 – April 8, 2005) was a Canadian choreographer and dancer, nominated for eight Tony Awards. Early life and career Born in Inverness, Nova Scotia, White began taking dance lessons at the age of twelve, and eventual ...

, ''Music Mans choreographer, in 1959. They remained married until his death in 1996. Luckey died in her home in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, on November 29, 2012, at the age of 74, due to liver failure. She was survived by her daughter, Shayna.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Luckey, Susan 1938 births 2012 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles 21st-century American women